African Games – Sports Village Square

BREAKING! Accra 2023 African Games Chieftain is dead

Kunle Solaja — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 10:24:19 +0000

Dr. Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, who superintended the 13^th African Games held in Accra Ghana in February has died.

He was the Chief Operating Officer of the Accra 2023 Local Organising Committee (LOC).

According to sources in Ghana, Dr. Owusu-Ansah was a sports administrator and coach, and thus left behind, a significant legacy in the world of sports.

Dr Owusu-Ansah, a former Chief Executive of the National Sports Authority (NSA), was widely regarded as an encyclopaedia of sports knowledge.

Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Owusu-Ansah, a former national chief athletics coach, authored the best-selling book “Principles of Abundant Living.”

He played a pivotal role in establishing the Department of Sports Studies at the College of Education at the University of Ghana. Additionally, he served as the Director of the Sports Directorate at the University of Ghana, Legon.

ASFU mourns African Games 2023 chief executive, Owusu-Ansah

Kunle Solaja — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 10:17:24 +0000

The Africa Students Football Union (ASFU) has expressed condolences over the passing of a patron of the union, Dr Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, who served as the COO of the just concluded 13th Africa Games held in Ghana.

Dr. Owusu-Ansah’s death was announced on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

According to a release by the executive secretary of the union, Femi Abioye, Owusu-Ansah until his death contributed immensely to sports development on the continent and the world at large.

He left an indelible impact on the lives of students-athletes coupled with sports administration across Africa countries.

The ASFU’s President, Prof. Oluwaseun Omotayo, who was shocked at the news of the demise of Dr. Owusu-Ansah described the deceased as a pillar, saying his departure has left a great vacuum in sports management.

He relished the deceased contribution and unwavering dedication to ASFU, saying the Union would miss the deceased.

“We will miss Dr. Owusu-Ansah, whose contribution to sports, knew no bounds. He was always ready to serve. He helped build the Union and was pivotal to the Union programmes. We will surely miss him,” he said.

He extended the Union condolences to all those affected by this loss, praying God grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.

A milestone as Egypt becomes the first country to get 100 gold medals in African Games

Kunle Solaja — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 17:00:10 +0000

As the curtain is drawn on the 13^th African Games in Egypt, the traditional overall winners, have this time hit a milestone.

They have become the first to hit a 100 gold medal mark in the 59 year history of the games.

As at Saturday morning, they have amassed 101 gold medals, 54 more than that of the second placed Nigeria

The biggest star of the Egyptian team is swimmer Marwan Elkamash, who won five gold medals in the men’s 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m and 4x200m relays, all in freestyle.

But medal haul is still short that that of his compatriot, Faten Afifi who fished out seven gold medals from the pool.

Nigeria’s Amusan and Brume shine in athletics

Kunle Solaja — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 16:55:22 +0000

The 2023 African Games come to a close on Saturday after two weeks of intense competition in Accra, Ghana, with Egypt emerging as the best team by far and the athletics competition providing a stunning spectacle in the final week.

Accra is hosting a the 2003 African Games from 4-23 March, with a remarkable organisation and Egypt crowned as the best team, just six gold medals short of the astonishing milestone of 100 titles. Will they reach it in the final competitions of the event?

As is the case with the Olympic Games and in the Panam Games, the final week of competition is time to enjoy with athletics, a sport that usually brings African countries great success at every major event such as the Olympics or the World Athletics Championships.

Ethiopia, for example, went into the athletics competition with no gold medals after 14 days of the Games and now has five, just like Kenya, which has won five of its six African titles in athletics.

Over the past two days, two world-class stars and big favourites for Accra 2023 have been crowned African champions to raise the level of competition. They will also be competing for Olympic glory at Paris 2024: Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume, both from Nigeria.

Nigeria’s Amusan burst onto the scene when she set a new world record in the women’s 110m hurdles with a time of 12.12, eight hundredths better than the old record set by USA’s ‘Keny’ Harrison. She also won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene in 2022.

After a difficult year in 2023, when she missed three anti-doping tests (she didn’t test positive) and received a suspension that was later lifted, and a sixth place at the World Championships in Budapest, Amusan came to Accra as the overwhelming favourite and she didn’t disappoint.

The Nigerian was the fastest in the semi-finals with an easy mark for her (13.03) and won the final in 12.89, almost a second slower than her world record time. It was her fifth African title (three in the 100m hurdles and two in the 4x100m relay) and she will be competing for glory at Paris 2004 against the USA’s Harrison and Nia Ali, and Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho Quinn, the reigning Olympic champion.

Also from Nigeria, Ese Brume is one of the best long jumpers in the world, with a bronze medal at the last Olympic Games, a silver at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene in 2022 and a bronze in Doha in 2019. She also won silver at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in 2022 and came to Accra as a three-time African champion and two-time Commonwealth champion.

After a disappointing sixth place finish at last year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest, the Ijebu-Ode native was the most high-profile athlete in the long jump final at Accra 2023, and she didn’t disappoint despite the opposition she faced.

With the best jump ever at the African Games, surpassing the old record of 6.79 set by South Africa’s Janice Josephs in 2015, Brume jumped 6.92 to show she is ready to take on the likes of USA’s Tori Tara Davis and Jasmine Moore, Serbia’s Ivana Vuleta and Germany’s Malaika Mihambo at the Stade de France in August. Burkina Faso’s Mathe Jasmine Koala took silver with a remarkable jump of 6.81

-insidegames

Nigeria’s last African Games medal to come from tennis

Kunle Solaja — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 08:05:42 +0000

Nigeria’s second position at the African Games is already sealed as the curtain falls on the delayed Accra 2023 tonight. As usual, Egypt are the runner-away leaders with an amazing 52 gold medals more than that of second-placed Nigeria.

Overall, Egypt have 187 medals as against Nigeria’s 121 as at close of competition on Friday night.

This Saturday, there are contests in just three disciplines – Cricket, Tennis and Volley ball. Nigeria will be involved in only women’s final, playing against Egypt.

Ghana women prepare better Jollof than that of Nigerian ladies on the football pitch!

Kunle Solaja — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 05:33:51 +0000

Nigeria have been dethroned as the African Games’ Women’s football champions as Ghana came from a goal down to beat the Super Falconets 2-1 after extra time on Thursday night.

Has the Jollof war been settled?

It is a continuation of regional rivalries between both countries even as the competition has spilled from sports field to the kitchen. It has been a hot debate on which country has the better Jollof Rice!

Loveth Njideka Edeh put Nigeria ahead in the 23^rd minute and the Falconets held on tenaciously till 13 minutes to regulation time when Tracy Twum levelled up for Ghana.

In the eighth minute of the ensuing extra time, Mukarama Abdullai got the winner for Ghana.

With Nigeria upstaging Ghana on the tracks, the football field brought succour to the African Games hosts as they have won the gold medal in Women’s football and hope to add that of Men’s football on Friday to become the first country that win both men’s and women’s football gold medal at the same time.

Ghana’s men will face Uganda, the surprise team of the tournament tonight in what is akin to a replay of the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations final match.

Ghana women prepare better Jollof than that of Nigerian ladies on the football pitch! –

Kunle Solaja — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 05:33:51 +0000

Nigeria have been dethroned as the African Games’ Women’s football champions as Ghana came from a goal down to beat the Super Falconets 2-1 after extra time on Thursday night.

Has the Jollof war been settled?

It is a continuation of regional rivalries between both countries even as the competition has spilled from sports field to the kitchen. It has been a hot debate on which country has the better Jollof Rice!

Loveth Njideka Edeh put Nigeria ahead in the 23^rd minute and the Falconets held on tenaciously till 13 minutes to regulation time when Tracy Twum levelled up for Ghana.

In the eighth minute of the ensuing extra time, Mukarama Abdullai got the winner for Ghana.

With Nigeria upstaging Ghana on the tracks, the football field brought succour to the African Games hosts as they have won the gold medal in Women’s football and hope to add that of Men’s football on Friday to become the first country that win both men’s and women’s football gold medal at the same time.

Ghana’s men will face Uganda, the surprise team of the tournament tonight in what is akin to a replay of the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations final match.

It’s a repeat of 1978 Afcon final as Uganda face Ghana in Africa Games gold medal match

Kunle Solaja — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 08:37:21 +0000

As it was 46 years ago in the final match of the Africa Cup of Nations, so it will be in the final football match of the African Games with both incidents holding in Accra Ghana.

It is Uganda versus Ghana, the second time a Uganda national team will play continental title match.

And so the fairy tale of the Ugandans continues after they had beaten Nigeria and Senegal on their way to the gold medal match of the African Games.

On Tuesday, the Ugandans rallied from two goal deficit to beat Congo 4-2. Ghana on their part edged past Senegal 1-0 in the other semi-final match.

It’s a repeat of 1978 Afcon final as Uganda face Ghana in Africa Games gold medal match –

Kunle Solaja — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 08:37:21 +0000

As it was 46 years ago in the final match of the Africa Cup of Nations, so it will be in the final football match of the African Games with both incidents holding in Accra Ghana.

It is Uganda versus Ghana, the second time a Uganda national team will play continental title match.

And so the fairy tale of the Ugandans continues after they had beaten Nigeria and Senegal on their way to the gold medal match of the African Games.

On Tuesday, the Ugandans rallied from two goal deficit to beat Congo 4-2. Ghana on their part edged past Senegal 1-0 in the other semi-final match.

Danjuma: Falconets good enough to retain African Games’ gold

Kunle Solaja — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 14:49:57 +0000

Coach Chris Musa Danjuma is expectedly sanguine following his Nigeria U20 girls’ progress to the final of the women’s football event of the ongoing 13^th African Games in Ghana.

The experienced tactician watched with delight as substitutes Judith Adaobi Okah and Chiamaka Okwuchukwu, off the bench, provided the goals that sent Uganda’s U20 packing and sent the defending champions to the final against hosts Ghana on Thursday night.

“We should have put away some of the chances we created in the first half, but we are happy to get two second-half goals and reach the final. It is an opportunity to retain our gold medal from the last edition in Morocco and we will do everything to win and make Nigerians happy.

“In as much as we are not thinking about revenge, we know that we have unfinished business with Ghana. Our primary objective is to retain our gold medal in the African Games and by doing that, we would have sorted out the unfinished business.”

The ‘unfinished business’ that Danjuma referred to was the WAFU B U20 Championship hosted by Ghana last year, in which the host nation edged out the Falconets in the final in Kumasi to win the regional title.

Danjuma’s girls have been imperial in Cape Coast, scoring eight goals in three matches without conceding any, and looking quite settled in several departments as they countenance this year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals in Colombia, for which they have already qualified.

The veteran gaffer made use of three different goalkeepers in the home-and-away World Cup qualifying duels against Tanzania and Burundi, but appears to have finally settled for World Cup bronze medallist Faith Omilana, who has kept goal in all matches in Cape Coast.

Shukurat Oladipo, Jumoke Alani and captain Oluchi Ohaegbulem are keeping things very tight at the back, while the experienced Yina Adoo and Chioma Olise have been boosted by Loveth Edeh and Bunmi Oladeji in the middle. In the attack, Chiamaka Okwuchukwu and Chinyere Kalu now have to contend with Olushola Shobowale and Adaobi Okah.

Thursday’s final will commence at 8pm Ghana time (9pm Nigeria time).